The present invention relates to a program for causing a computer to perform schedule management of work schedules and the like in a project, and a method and system for such schedule management.
To perform efficient project management, a system and a management method for automatically managing relevant components and work schedules in a project by using a computer can reduce the burden of the project manager. A conventional technique includes-a component structure management unit for managing component structure information, a common work breakdown structure (WBS) management unit for managing definitions of a common WBS and rules to be applied in subdividing each item, a WBS specifying unit for automatically specifying the WBS on the basis of the information managed by the component structure management unit and the information managed by the common WBS management unit, and a WBS management unit for managing the specified WBS. In this technique, each project uses the common WBS, and specific work design for each project is automatically generated on the basis of the structure information of the components to be developed.
In project management system development, it is important to appropriately describe dependency relationships between the components of the system to be developed. Especially in work schedule management, appropriate scheduling for each work typically is not possible if the dependency relationships between the components are not clearly described. In a case of developing a complicated system including various components such as hardware and software, it is generally preferable to describe at least three kinds of dependency relationships: an inclusion relationship between the components; a coupling relationship with a constraint between the components; and a coupling relationship without any constraint between the components. In the conventional technique described above, dependency relationships between the components are described only in a single pattern. Accordingly, it is not possible to describe different kinds of dependency relationships, such as an inclusion relationship between the components, or a coupling relationship with a constraint between the components, and a coupling relationship without any constraint between the components, while distinguishing the kinds of dependency relationships from each other. For this reason, efficient project management by appropriately managing components and work schedules cannot be easily performed in a project for developing a complicated system including various components such as hardware and software.
Generally, there has not been any attempt made, in conventional automatic project management techniques to describe these three kinds of dependency relationships in a clearly distinguished manner, and thereby to use the descriptions for management of components and work schedules.